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£1.5m awarded to RCHT for new mental health hub

The Government has announced today that nearly £1.5million is being awarded to the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) for a new mental health hub.

According to the Department for Health & Social Care, the project will co-locate ‘Integrated Multi-Agency Prevention and Assessment of Crisis Teams’ (IMPACT), bringing together a number of statutory and non-statutory services in a modular building housed on the Royal Cornwall Hospitals site.

From this modular ‘hub’, the RHCT Safeguarding team will develop their integrated approach to care and deliver a responsive, stream-lined service to people who are vulnerable to, experiencing, or recovering from mental health crisis.

This means all organisations working within the hub can provide rapid assessment, expert advice, and support and care planning to reduce attendances at A&E and avoid the need for admission in acute mental health settings during work hours.

Welcoming the announcement, Scott Mann MP said:

“It’s fantastic news that Cornwall has secured £1.5m for a new mental health hub at Treliske Hospital. Every day our A&E departments are visited by people who are experiencing a mental health crises and are in need of help. Mental health services have not been adequate in the past and now we are starting to see real action.

“By having these various bodies working together in a new hub in the hospital, people can be helped faster and more effectively, ensuring that they get the appropriate help and advice. It also means that pressure is relieved off of the A&E department and there is a reduction in admission to acute mental health services.

“This money comes on top of the £5million for a new mental health centre in Bodmin for young people, and the extra funding for a ‘Core 24’ service at RCHT which means there are mental health specialists on site at all times to help people in crisis.”

The £1,489,000 awarded to RCHT is part of a £15million ‘Beyond Places of Safety’ scheme which was originally announced in January 2017 by the Prime Minister. Of the 51 successful bids from NHS trusts and other mental health organisations around the country, RCHT has been awarded the largest amount of money.

“We are delighted to have been successful in securing new investment for Cornwall to deliver this exciting new scheme.

“All health and care partners are committed to working together to join up mental health services in Cornwall so we can better meet the needs of vulnerable people with complex mental health issues. This funding will help us to achieve this by setting up an integrated clinical hub”.